International Conference in Liepaja in Memory of Otto Fischer
On April 25, 2025, an international conference was held in the Latvian city of Liepaja to commemorate Otto Fischer, a Jewish footballer and coach from Vienna. Fischer earned seven caps for the Austrian national team and played in the 1920s for clubs including First Vienna FC and SC Hakoah. Starting in 1936, he worked as a coach in Liepaja, where he led the club Olimpia Liepaja to three Latvian championship titles, breaking the long-standing dominance of clubs from Riga. In 1941, Otto Fischer was murdered by the Nazis in Liepaja.
In the presence of Gunārs Ansiņš, Mayor of Liepaja, the Austrian Ambassador to Latvia, Mag. Bernadette Klösch, unveiled a memorial plaque for the Austrian footballer at Olimpia Stadium on the morning of April 25. The initiative for the plaque came from the Austrian Embassy in cooperation with the Jewish Heritage Foundation Liepaja.
This was followed by a visit to the Šķēde Memorial Site, where Ilya Lensky, Director of the “Jews in Latvia” Museum in Riga, provided a guided tour of the site. After the German occupation of Latvia in 1941, mass shootings of Jewish men, women, and children took place on the beaches of Šķēde.
In the afternoon, the conference in memory of Otto Fischer was held under the title *“Celebrating the Legacy of Otto Fischer”* at the Jewish Community Assembly Hall in Liepaja. Scholars from Latvia, the United Kingdom, and Austria gave presentations on Otto Fischer’s life, his influence on Latvian football, and aspects of Austrian-Latvian sports relations. In my own lecture, I presented my 2024 book *“Otto ‘Schloime’ Fischer: A Jewish Football Star from Vienna.”* Professor emeritus Dr. Robert Beig, Otto Fischer’s great-nephew, spoke about aspects of the family’s history. The conference was accompanied by a small exhibition on Fischer’s work in Liepaja and a brochure dedicated to his legacy.
The following day, a youth football tournament in Otto Fischer’s honor was held in Liepaja. Ambassador Klösch and Mayor Ansiņš presented the young athletes with the **Otto Fischer Cup** and medals bearing Fischer’s likeness. The long-term goal is to establish the tournament as an annual event.
All events were supported by the Latvian Jewish Community Restitution Fund, the Liepaja Jewish Heritage Foundation, the Austrian Embassy, and FC Liepaja. My special thanks go to Ambassador Mag. Bernadette Klösch and her team, as well as to Ivana Ivanova (Head of the Liepaja Jewish Heritage Foundation) and her team for the outstanding local organization.
(Alexander Juraske)
